Let It Be
by MG12CSI16
Summary: When a bank robbery turns deadly, the two CSI teams must come together to help one of their own. Set in season 5.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is going to be my first attempt at a multi-chapter story, so it might not be the best. It will be GSR eventually but not right away, and it's set in season 5. I'm going to try and post one-two chapters a week, but we'll see what happens, schools getting pretty busy right now. I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Never owned CSI, never will.

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><p><strong>Let it Be<strong>

The streets of Vegas were up and running that morning, the desert heat hanging over everyones heads. From her spot against the brick wall of the bank, Sara watched as the people of Sin City carried on with their day, most heading to work, some heading to the casinos. Relieved to be heading home to her bed after a long shift at the crime lab she stubbed out her cigarrett, and made her way into the building, her only stop before heading home.

The dim lighting, and cool artificial air were both gifts to her tired body, as she entered the twin glass doors. The headache pounding in her right temple eased as her eyes adjusted to the lights.

Making her way in the headache only grew as she saw the line that greeted her, leading up to the only open counter. Letting out a loud sigh she took her spot in the back and waited, frustration settling in her stomach.

As the line slowly inched towards the front, Sara found herself studying the people in the line ahead of her. Her eyes fell first on a well dressed buisness man barking into a cell phone, obviously in a hurry. Beside him was a young woman and a small child who was chattering excitedley to his mother.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack, her head whipped around as she recognized the sound as a gunshot. Ignoring the panick around her she looked around attempting to pin-point the source. She immediatley identified a masked man dressed in black as the source of the sound, his shaking hands holding a large gun.

"Everyone up against the counter!" The man shouted, his voice carrying a hint of nervousness. Obeying the mans order she found herself along with the rest of the crowd lining up against the long marble counter. She glanced over and saw the young mother she had seen earlier usher her child in front of her, protecting his small body with her own.

She watched as the masked man, made his way behind the counter, pointing his gun at the clerk and demanding he join the rest of them. Emptying the register into the canvas bag he had brought, the mans eyes stayed trained on the terrified crowd in front of him. After finishing his task, he slowly and wordlessly walked up to the clerk, talking him by the arm and leading him to the back.

Surprisingly Saras mind began to think to Grissom. She was thankful he wasn't here. She was glad she didn't have to worry about his safety, or vice-versa. Her feelings for the night shift supervisor had only grown since Ecklie had split the teams, putting her with Grissom, Greg, and Sofia.

She could feel the jealousy burn in her stomach as she recalled overhearing him make dinner plans with Sofia just the other day. She had angrily worked through her case, not speaking to anyone but Greg the rest of the day.

She started to wonder what he was doing right now. She wondered if he was at home in bed where she was supposed to be. Or if he picked up another shift like he always did. Either way she was glad he wasn't here.

As she suddenly became aware of her situation again, she nervously waited to hear another gunshot come from the back of the building, but all she heard was the shaky breathing of the other hostages around her. She could only guess the clerk was being forced to reveal the combination of large safe located in the back.

Her heart raced as the armed man returned with the clerk in tow, who seemed to be unharmed. Dragging the man back to the front of the counter he roughly pushed back in line with the rest of them. As the man turned around to count the money he had collected Sara was suddenly aware that her service weapon was still in her hip holster.

Slowly inching her hand towards the gun, she stopped when she heard the man begin to shout. "What do you think you're doing?" Her movements had been enough to make the man look up from his task.

The words were spoken with a mix of fear and anger. He quickly ran towards Sara, gun in hand. As he reached her, the cold metal of the gun came into contact with the side of her skull.

Overwhelmed by the blow she fell to the floor, a searing pain now taking the place of her earlier headache. The mans anger continued and Sara found herself being repeatedly kicked and struck. Unable to defend herself she counted each blow she recieved, _eight, nine.._

As the blows began to subside, she attempted to fight away unconsciousness, but she was slowly losing the battle, _nineteen, twenty.._ When the man had finished his rampage, he picked up his bag and quickly ran from the building. Everyone was silent as they attempted to collect their thoughts. The clerk quickly ran behind his desk and dialed 911.

The buisness man from before slowly inched towards Sara, "Miss, are you all right?" She was anything but alright, she could feel the blood pouring from her nose, and each breath she took was accompanied by a sharp pain.

The clerk had already hung up the phone and walked towards her, worry showing in his green eyes. Leaning towards her he said "the police and an ambulance are on their way." Relief ran through her when she heard the news, hoping they wouldn't be too late. As her eyes once again became heavy, Sara could hear the sound of sirens before finally slipping into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to those of you who read and reviewed the first chapter! Here's chapter two! I did my medical research for this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI

**Let It Be**

Gathering up her case files Catherine Willows, the new swing shift supervisor was making her way to the breakroom to hand out assignment slips to her team. Before leaving the room she became aware of Jim Brass walking towards her, "Catherine." He greeted politely.

"Hey Jim," she said flashing him her mega-whatt smile. "How's the new position treating ya?" he questioned a sly grin plastered on his aging face. "Pretty good," she answered, " I'm just about to go hand out assignments, anything I can help you with?"

With concern showing in his eyes he replied, "yeah, you're gonna have to put a hold on those assignments, theres been a robbery over at the republic bank on the strip, all hands on deck."

flashing him a look she replied, "all hands on deck, thats a pretty small bank?" "Yeah, well one of the hostages was assaulted, they're over at Desert Palms right now, critical condition." he replied.

"Do you know who the victim is?" she asked? "Not yet, the responding officer's waiting at the scene for us." With a nod he left the room, leaving Catherine to inform her team.

Nick Stokes and Warrick Brown looked up from the game they were playing as they heard the click of heels down the hallway, signaling Catherines arrival.

"Hey Cath, What do you got for us?" Nick questioned in his southern accent. "Bank robbery and assualt on the strip, all hands on deck." "Well let's go cowboy"

Warrick replied, "first one to the car gets to drive." Catherine laughed as she watched the boys race to the locker room to grab their things. With Nick in the drivers seat, the three CSIs made their way through Vegas traffic to their crime scene.

The scene that greeted them was nothing new, the streets were littered with police cars and curious bystanders. Unloiading their kits, they approached the tape seperating the crime scene from the rest of the strip, flashing their IDs at the officer, they made their way over to Brass.

"You get any information on the assault victim yet?" Catherine asked. "Yeah the responding officer was able to get her name off her ID before the ambulance took her to the hospital."

Pausing, he took a deep breath hating to be the bearer of bad news. Noting the expression on his face Catherine pressed further. "Well, who is it?" Finally finding his voice he answered "The officer identified her as Sara Sidle."

His words were met with silence and shocked faces. "Are you sure?" Nick asked. "Yeah she should be home or at the lab." Warrick added. "Paramedics found her CSI badge, it's her."

The four adults all looked at eachother, tears threatening to fall from their eyes. Breaking the silence Catherine quickly put her team to work, knowing the scene needed to be processed before they could do anything.

"Nicky you take the lobby please." Nodding he slowly walked away, Catherine saw him wipe a tear from his eye. "Warrick you take the back, see if you can lift any prints off the safe." "You got it."

Turning to Brass she asked, "Where's the officer, I wanna question him myself." Brass silentley pointed in the officers direction, not saying a word. Putting on her best straight face she marched to the officer.

"So you're the responding officer?" she questioned. "Uh yes ma'am, Officer Taylor, and you are?" "Catherine Willows, I'm with the Crime Lab, can you tell me what happened here?"

"Uh, when I arrived the suspect had fled the scene so I sent some of my boys to look for him." As Catherine nodded he continued. "When I entered the woman, Miss Sidle was on the floor, bleeding from the head, as the paramedics tended to her I checked and questioned the rest of the hostages."

Clearing his throat he went on, "One of the hostages, the buisnessman over there said as the perp turned to count his money Miss Sidle reached for her service weapon, but was caught.

The man came after her, hitting her on the right side of the head with his gun. As she fell he continued to kick and strike her, when he finished he collected the money and ran. The clerk called 911 right after."

After Officer Taylor finished filling her in she walked back to Brass who had just finished interviewing the last hostage. With a grim look on her face she said "sounds to me like he did it out of fear, definatley not an experienced criminal.

"Sighing Brass asked, "What are you going to do now?" Ignoring the throbbing in her head she replied, "I need to go process Sara, but someone needs to tell Gil." Brass quickly looked up "I'll do that, he may take it better if he hears it from me.

"Nodding she walked back to the door of the bank, pausing before walking in. Approaching Nick she called out to him "Nick, I'm going to process Sara." Nick only nodded not looking up from his task.

"What do you have?" she asked. "Theres a bullet lodged in this wall, I'm trying to get it without damaging it." After gingerly prying the bullet from the wall he held it up so Catherine could see it. "Looks like a .45 calliber, make sure you get it back to the lab and have Bobby run it."

"Alright, what are you gonna do now?" Nick asked. "I'm gonna go process Sara, you and Warrick finish up for me, I'll call you when I'm done."

Pulling up to Desert Palms, Catherine quickly parked her car and walked swiftly to the entrance. Approaching the front desk she gave the receptionist a friendly smile, "I'm Catherine Willows with the Las Vegas Crime Lab, I need to speak with Sara Sidles doctor please."

Typing something quickly into the computer, she replied, "Doctor Thomas will be out in a moment, you can take a seat over there," she motioned to an array of chairs across the room.

Taking a seat Catherine patiently waited for the Doctor. Not long after she glanced up to see a tall, dark haired man in his mid 30's approach her. "Dr Thomas?" she asked. "Yes, you must be Miss Sidles co-worker, I was worried she didn't have anyone here to be with her."

The mans eyes showed nothig but concern for his patient. "Yes, I work with Sara, what can you tell me about her condition?" Motioning for Catherine to walk with him he began,

"Well when she was brought in she was in critical condition, she had suffered a head injury and had fallen unconscious before paramedics arrived. When we did a scan we discovered Miss Sidle had suffered a chronic subdural hematoma."

He paused for a moment to let the news sink in. "Those can be fatal can't they?" Catherine had finally spoke since Dr. Thomas had started speaking. "They can be yes, but because hers was handled properly we were able to go in and relieve some of the intercranial pressure. On top of the hematoma, Sara also suffered broken and bruised ribs, a broken nose, adn several bruises along the rest of her body. Unfortuanatley after the operation Miss Sidle became agitated and the safest option was to induce a small coma"

Catherine quietly entered Saras room, kit in hand. She observed every inch of Sara that was still visible, her head was wrapped in a thick white bandage, her face was a mess of black and blue, and she noted the ventillator assisting each breath she took.

She pulled out her camera and began speaking as she snapped each picture. "Hey Sara, it's Catherine, I just want you to know we will find this guy." Putting down the camera she picked up a bindle and began to scrape her fingernails.

"It was pretty brave of you to go for your gun, I probably wouldn't have been able to move." She reached out a hand and gently put it on Saras, anger starting to boil up inside of her.

"You will pull through this, and if you need anything, I'll be here, we all will." Standing up she headed outside to call Nick and Warrick.

Brass had made his way back to the lab, navigating his way through the halls. He paused outside Grissoms office, unsure how to go on. He gingerly knocked on the door, before entering the room filled with creatures and experiments.

Grissom looked up from the file he was reading, "Yeah Jim what's up?" Clearing his throat he looked him straight in the eye, "Gil, we have a problem."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys sorry for the delay, I had this all ready to go on Thursday but the weather's been pretty nasty and a storm knocked out my internet and power. Once again thanks to those who reviewed, here's chapter 3!

**Let It Be**

_Brass had made his way back to the lab, navigating his way through the halls. He paused outside Grissoms office, unsure how to go on. He gingerly knocked on the door, before entering the room filled with creatures and experiments. _

_Grissom looked up from the file he was reading, "Yeah Jim what's up?" Clearing his throat he looked him straight in the eye, "Gil, we have a problem."_

The concern in the detectives eyes worried Grissom, he braced himself for the news, knowing it would be bad.

"Gil, there was a bank robbery this morning, no one was killed but one hostage was assaulted, it's pretty bad. Anyways when I got to the scene paramedics gave me this, it's the victims."

The color drained from Grissoms face when he saw what his friend had been holding, Saras badge. "Wh-what does this mean? Sara's hurt, is she ok?" Brass sighed, "she was taken to Desert Palms, she's critical. Catherine's over there now processing. Stokes and Brown just finished the scene."

Grissom couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, all he could do was stare at Saras face smiling up at him. Ignoring the worried look from Brass Grissom lifted himself from his desk and ran from his office.

He ran down the hallway, paying no attention to the curious stares he was recieving. Walking out the front door he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Gregs number. "Yeah Greg, I know your off right now but I need you to meet me at Desert Palms.

No I'm fine just meet me." He hung up and walked to his car praying Sara would be alright as he brought the engine to life.

Nick and Warrick silently pulled into the hospitals parking lot, neither had said a word since they got the news of Sara. As they walked through the doors they spotted Catherine who had been waiting.

She smiled softly at them, "Hey, you guys alright?" Nicks eyes were red, Catherine knew he had been crying. "We're fine, Sara any different?" Warrick asked her.

"No changes, she's still unconscious. Grissom's on his way, Greg should be here too." As she said this she saw the youngest CSI make his way over to them, he obviously didn't know what was going on.

"Guys, what's going on? Grissom called and said to meet him here, is everyone alright?" Three pairs of eyes looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say. Nick was the one to break the silence, "Greg man, Sara's been hurt, badly."

Confusion clouded the mans eyes, "what do you mean hurt, like she fell or cut herself?" Nick shook his head, "there was a bank robbery this morning, Sara was there and when she tried to stop the guy he attacked her."

Greg backed up a few steps as Nicks words sank in. He put a hand on the wall to steady himself, "She'll be ok though, right?" This time Catherine answered,

"She was took a blow to the head and right now she's in a coma." Greg stood completley still, his eyes looking straight ahead, afraid he would fall Nick had him sit down.

As the automatic doors slid open once more Grissom walked in not even seeing the group that was waiting for him.

"Gil! Gil we're over here." Catherine was calling out to him, waving her arms in an attempt to get his attention. He turned spotting them, quietly he approached them, his eyes full of distress.

"Gil, sit down you don't look so good." Grissom shook his head, "no, I need to see Sara." Nodding Catherine motioned for them to follow. The CSIs walked down the hall stopping in front of the room marked 317. Looking around Grissom announced,

"I'll go first." Not waiting for a response he slowly entered the room. He noted the machines assisting Saras breathning and the ones monitoring her heart rate. When his eyes fell onto her he gasped.

Her faced was covered in bruises, her head wrapped in a bandage. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and nose. The sight made him physically ill. Inching closer he stopped and sat in the chair next to her bed.

Afraid to touch her he settled for talking to her instead. "Sara, it's Grissom. I want you to know I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." His voice broke as he observed her bruises once more. "I uh, I don't really know what to say. Just know I'm here, Greg too."

He rose from the chair casting one more glance in her direction before exiting the room.

The rest of the group looked up as he appeared, noting the tears that were forming in his eyes. Greg got up not saying a word as he entered Saras room. Catherine looked at Grissom putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "she's strong Gil, She'll pull through."

He just looked at her, not saying a word. Both looked up when they heard hurried footsteps and saw Greg, fresh tears falling from his eyes as he ran out of the room.

The young man turned away, ashamed to be the one crying. Warrick walked up and patted him on the back, allowing him to cry until he had no more tears.

In that instant the rest of the team looked at one another, thankful they were all together.

After Nick and Warrick took their turns visiting Sara the group headed outside for some much needed fresh air. Catherine turned to Nick and Warrick, "Let's head back to the lab and start processing."

She turned to Grissom and Greg, "you guys can come and help if you want." Grissom shook his head fiercely, "No, someone needs to stay with Sara, Greg you go with them." Silentley Greg nodded following Nick and Warrick.

"I'll be calling you later Gil." Catherine told him before turning and following the boys to the car. Grissom leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, wishing this was all just a nightmare.

Catherine entered the lab, followed by Nick, Warrick and Greg. All were silent as they retrieved the evidence they had collected earlier. Nick pulled out the bullet he collected from the lobby of the bank.

"I'm gonna take this over to Bobby, see if he can get a hit off of IBIS." He walked to the ballistics lab, prepared to hear the happy, southern accent of Bobby Dawson, the labs ballistics expert.

Instead he was met with silence. Bobby sat in his chair, staring blankly at his computer screen. "Bobby, man I need you to run this for me." His words were met with silence, growing annoyed he tried again, "Bobby, hey!"

This time he turned looking at Nick seeing the agitation in the other mans eyes , "sorry man, I just heard about Sara." Nick felt guilt well up inside him, Saras accident had taken a toll on him, and everyone else.

"It's alright, here I found this at the crime scene. Can you run it for me?" Bobby picked up the container examining the bullet inside. "Yeah, I'll page you when I get the results." Nick patted the man on the back, "Thanks."

Back in the layout room, Catherine, Warrick, and Greg were reviewing the rest of the evidence. "Did you lift any prints off the safe or counter?"

Catherine was asking Warrick. "No, I got a couple smudges on the counter, but the perp must've been wearing gloves when he touched the safe, that sucker was clean."

Sighing in frustration Catherine moved on to the evidence she collected from Sara. "I got some photos of Saras injuries, and some scrapings from under her fingers. There's not much here, she probably wasn't able to fight back but it's worth running."

Turning to Greg she asked, "Do you wanna take this to DNA." Reaching a hand out to take the evidence he nodded.

Walking into the DNA lab Greg felt an instant sense of home, remembering the years he had spent there. Mia looked up from her microscope and smiled kindly, "What've got for me?" Greg smiled back at her, "I've got Saras fingernail scrapings, I need you to run them see if she got a piece of her attacker."

Nodding she replied, "You got it." Leaving Mias lab he trudged to the break room, in desperate need of some coffee. Walking in he saw the rest of the team seated around the table clutching steaming mugs of coffee.

Pouring himself a cup he sat beside Catherine. "Hear anything new yet?" he asked the group. Each of them shook their heads, exhaustion showing on their faces.

"She's still the same, Grissom's been sitting with her." The silence was broken by the beeping of Nicks pager, signaling Bobby had finished processing the bullet.

"Thats Bobby with my results, I'll bring back a copy." Walking into the ballistics lab he saw Bobby anxiously awaiting his arrival.

"Nick man good news, I got an IBIS hit on your bullet. The gun the bullet came from is registered to a Jason Riley, local address."

Nick grinned widely yelling out a quick, "Thanks, I owe you one," before running down the hall in search of the rest of the team.


	4. Chapter 4

**Let It Be**

Grissoms eyes snapped open as he awoke from a well earned nap. Looking around he saw Sara still sleeping peacefully, the machines whirring and beeping quietly beside her.

Realizing he was still at the hospital he leaned back into the chair, relaxing slightly. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, yawning loudly. He checked his phone, seeing four missed calls from Catherine.

He cursed silently, she was probably fuming by now as he had promised he would keep her updated. He made a mental note to call her back and turned his attention towards Sara again.

He had been watching her closely since he had arrived, refusing to leave her side. He covered her small hand with his larger one, his fingers stroking the smooth skin.

He felt a tinge of regret when he looked at her, knowing he had not been truthful about his feelings toward her.

For as long as he could remember he had been attracted to Sara. When he first saw her in San Fransisco he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She had her hair in a ponytail and a smile on her face, she watched his lecture with such intensity it made him nervous.

He was so lost in thought, he didn't realize her eyelids begin to flutter and her fingers flex under his hand. He jumped up waiting to see what would happen. To his surprise her eyes flashed open and she looked around the room frantically, unaware of her situation. She began to pull at the oxygen mask across her face.

He pulled her hand away quickly calling for a nurse. He was relieved when a nurse ran in, her eyes full concern. She took one look at Sara and immediately called for the doctor.

Dr. Thomas walked calmly into the room, smiling at Grissom and Sara.

"Hello Sara, glad to have you back with us." He pulled on a pair of gloves and approached her bed.

He removed the mask from her face and began asking her a series of questions before examining the bandage on her head. Satisfied that she was alright for now he had the nurse give her some water.

She sipped it gratefully before looking at Grissom with confused eyes.

"What's going on? Why are we at the hospital?" Her voice sounded small and scared. Grissom grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes.

"Honey, you went to the bank this morning and there was a robbery, do you remember that?" He gripped her hand tighter, his voice full of concern. She sat and thought for a moment.

She froze for a moment, _had Grissom just called her honey?._ She shook the thought away and tried to remember what had happened this morning. She faintly remembered being in the bank, but not much more than that. She looked at him and nodded silently. Grissom smiled reassuringly and sat down on the edge of the bed, allowing the doctor to explain Saras injuries to her.

"Well Sara, you suffered a chronic subdural hematoma. What we did was inserted a catheter and removed the hematoma. on top of that you suffered a broken nose which we reset, and some broken and bruised ribs."

She nodded as he read off the list of injuries, tightening her grip on Grissoms hand. When the doctor finished she flashed him a smile and thanked him as he left the room.

Suddenly they were alone, Sara looked down at her lap not knowing what to say. She looked at him again and noticed he was still in his clothes from this morning.

"Have you been home yet, you look like hell?" He smiled at the comment and shook his head.

"No, I've been here all day. Someone needed to stay here with you while the others worked the case with Catherine."

He suddenly felt a surge of panick when he realized he had failed to call her back. Turning back to Sara he said, "I'll be back in a minute, I need to tell Catherine your awake."

Nick practically ran into the break room waving the results around in the air. Warrick shot him a look while Catherine stood up and took the paper from his hands, her eyes skimming over it.

"Jason Riley," she read the name aloud to the rest of the group. "He's a mechanic here in Vegas with no criminal record. He's got a work address out in Henderson."

Nick walked over and took the paper back, "I'm heading over there with Brass in a minute, you comin'?" He asked her.

She nodded and followed him out of the lab and into the parking lot. She climbed into the passengers seat, sending Brass a quick text telling him they were on their way.

She rested her forehead against the window watching the city fly by. She jumped slightly when she heard her cell phone ring.

Looking at the caller ID she saw Grissoms name flashing on the screen, she looked at Nick and mouthed _Grissom _before flipping it open and answering.

"Hey Gil, any news?" She nodded as she listened to him, earning a curious glance from Nick. "Well that's great, I'll let Nick know. You should call Greg and Warrick, they're back at the lab. I'm sure they'd be happy to come see her."

As soon as she hung up the phone Nick looked at her eagerly. "Well, what did he say?" Catherine smiled and looked at him, "Sara's awake and she's doing well so far."

Nick smiled his eyes trained on the road ahead, "that's great. Hopefully we wrap this up real quick and then we can swing by."

They pulled up to a large garage, the blue paint on the outside faded and chipped. Brass leaned against his car, cleaning his sunglasses while he waited.

"It's about time you got here, I've been waiting for twenty minutes!" The dective exclaimed. Catherine rolled her eyes and waved him off, walking toward the garages entrance.

Brass stepped inside first, calling out into the empty space, "Jason Riley, LVPD we need to have a word with you!" After a moment a young man with messy brown hair stepped out, his eyes wide as he looked at the three of them.

He was was wearing blue coveralls that were covered in grease, his hands and face were stained black. He picked up a towel and began cleaning himself off.

"What can I do for you detective?" He asked as he continued to eye them.

"Well Mr. Riley, theres was a robbery at the rebpublic bank this morning," the young man nodded as he continued, "there was a bullet found at the scene that belongs to a gun registered under your name."

Jasons head shot up and he raised his hands defensivley, "Woah, you don't think I had anything to do with that?" He asked.

Brass shrugged his shoulders, inspecting the array of tools in front of him, "right now that bullet is the only piece of evidence we have so, yeah I do."

The young man began to panick looking at Brass he said, "man, I've been working all day, I got customers that can vouch for me."

Nick stepped forward and introduced himself, "Mr. Riley I'm Nick Stokes, I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Now if you didn't do this why did we find a bullet from your gun at the scene?"

Jasons eyes suddenly lit up and he looked at Nick, " I don't know man, but it couldn't have been me. I sold that gun weeks ago."

Nick eyed him suspiciously, "oh, yeah? Who'd you sell it too?"

"There's this customer I got, Brian Paxton. He comes in a couple of weeks ago asking if I know where he can find someone who can sell him a gun."

Brass takes out his notepad and jots the name down, "and did Brian tell you what he needed a gun for?"

Jason shrugs his shoulders and begins sorting the tools on his work bench, "no, wasn't really any of my buisness. Anyways, I tell him I got this gun I'm getting rid of, and he can have it for a decent price. He said he was interested and I sold it to him before he left"

Brass nodded his head, still scribbling on the pad. "You happen to know where Brian lives?"

Jason shakes his head not bothering to look up, "Naw man, but he's been working construction out on 4th street, you can probably find him there"

Nodding his thanks Brass exited the garage with Nick and Catherine following closely. He opened his car door turning to the pair before climbing inside.

"You two wanna check out Paxton now or wait until tomorrow, it's getting pretty late." The sky was now a various shades of blue nad purple, the sun barely visible behind the mass of trees in the distance.

Catherine looked at her watch and turned to Nick, "might as well wait until tomorrow. If we don't hurry up visiting hours will be over."

Brass climed into his car, rolling down the window and facing them, "I'll head over with some of my guys in the morning. I'll let you know when it's showtime."

Rolling up the window and reving the engine, the detective sped away leaving the pair standing in a cloud of dust.

Catherine started walking toward the Denali, calling over her shoulder to Nick, "come on, I told Grissom we'd be over there by six! I'm blaming you if we're late!"

Laughing to himself Nick began running after his supervisor, jumping in the car and speeding off towards the hospital.

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><p>AN: Hey guys, sorry this was so late, It's been a CRAZY week. I've had ACT testing at school and I haven't been feeling well on top of that. Thanks for being patient with me, and thanks to those of you who are reading and reviewing!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: WOAH, it has been way too long since I updated. I'm so sorry about that! Anyways thanks for the reviews and here's chapter 5. :)

**Let It Be**

Catherine and Nick shuffled into Saras hospital room, greeted by a sight that warmed there hearts. Sara was sitting up in bed laughing at a joke Greg had just told. Her bruises were looking better and she was flashing her signature gapped tooth smile.

She saw the two and waved them over, excepting a warm hug from Nick. Catherine appraoched the bed and gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze.

"Glad to see you awake. You had me worried there for a second." she said. Sara grinned and pulled the older woman into a hug.

"So how's the investigation going?" Grissom asked. He was seated on the edge of the bed beside Sara, his hand resting on top of hers.

"Well we payed Jason Riley a visit and he told us he sold the gun a few weeks ago. Brass is trying to locate the man he sold it to. We're gonna go see him in the morning." Nick chimed.

The group sat and spent time catching up, happy to be together as a team again. This time it was Warrick who spoke up.

"You know it's gonna suck when we have to go back to being on two seperate teams again." he said glumly. The other nodded their agreement only to be interrupted when a stern looking nurse entered the room.

"Visiting hours are over. Say your goodbyes and get going." she told them in a gruff voice. Catherine stood up and tugged on Nicks arm.

"Come on, we better check to see if Brass has anything." she said. Nick followed as well as Greg and Warrick, each calling out a goodbye as they left the room.

Grissom turned toward Sara and squeezed her hand. She smiled and layed her head on his shoulder, pressing her body closer to his.

"You know, I could probably convince the nurse to let me stay here tonight." he told her, a smirk playing on his face. She laughed and sat up, looking him dead in the eye.

"No, you need to go home and sleep, maybe take a shower too." she said with a giggle. He raised an eyebrow and stood up.

"Are you saying I smell?" he asked, pretending to be offended. She nodded and Grissom couldn't hide the smile that was spreading across his face. He leaned down and pulled Sara into a gentle hug before kissing her on her cheek.

She gasped and he retracted, afraid he had crossed a boundary. Instead she did what he least expected. Grabbing his shirt she pulled him down, placing her lips on his. The kiss was sweet and Grissom savored every second of it.

He only broke the contact when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. He turned around and saw the nurse from earlier staring at him, arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently.

He felt his cheeks burn red and he mumbled a quick goodbye to Sara before practically running out the door. The nurse gave Sara a stern look and she felt her own cheeks blush.

Laying back in her bed she smiled to herself and flipped off the lamp on the table. Closing her eyes she drifted to sleep, thinking of nothing but the kiss.

Pulling up to the crowded construction sight, Catherine let out a sigh and looked at Brass and Nick.

"Let's hope we get something useful from this guy. I have a really good feeling he could be our guy." Brass only nodded before leaving the car. They three walked up to a group of workers who seemed to be on a break.

Brass flashed his badge and the group fell silent. One of the men caught Nicks eye. He was fidgeting and looking from Brass to Catherine. Without a warning the man turned on his heel and began running towards the parking lot.

Nick was ready and in an instant found himself chasing the man. Brass shot a look at Catherine and said,

"Well looks like we found Brian Paxton." He broke into a jog and went after the two men. Nick was right behind Brian as they weaved in and out of the rows of cars. Reaching his arm out he caught the end of his shirt and dragged him to the ground.

The two were scuffling, Nick taking a punch to the jaw. Brian had him pinned and was about to place another blow. All of a sudden Nick felt the weight of the man dissapear and he saw Brass and another officer restarining the man.

"Well Brian you just made my job a whole lot easier. Nothing makes you look guilty like running from the police." Brass announced.

Catherine ran up and kneeled down beside Nick, inspecting his injury. Nick waved her off and allowed her to help him up. He cradeled his injured cheek and followed Catherine back to the Denali.

"Man, that guys got a good arm." Nick commented, flexing his sore jaw. He leaned back in his seat and looked at Catherine.

"You think he's our guy?" he questioned. Catherine shrugged her shoulders, never taking her gaze off the road.

"I don't know. I'd say he's involved somehow, otherwise he wouldn't have ran." She said. Nick agreed and the rest of the ride was made in silence.

In the interrogation room Brian Paxton sat with a blank expression on his face. Brass walked in followed by Catherine. They took a seat on the opposite side of the table and Brass cleared his throat.

"So Brian can you tell me why you ran?" Brass asked in a casual voice. Brian sat and said nothing, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Brass sighed and leaned towards him.

"Come on Brian, if your innocent I can't help you unless you give me something to work with." He told him. After hesitating Brian opened his mouth and started speaking.

"I ran cause I was scared. I thought you were coming to arrest me for the gun I stole." He said in a low voice, avoiding the gaze of the detective. Catherine raised an eyebrow and looked at Brass who shrugged in response.

"We had no idea you stole a gun. May I ask who you stole it from?" Catherine asked. Brian looked down at his hands. After what seemed like an eternity he spoke.

"I stole it from this guy named Jason Riley."


	6. Chapter 6

**Let It Be**

Catherine heard the _Woosh_ of air as her mouth fell open in shock.

"Jason Riley?" Are you sure that's the right man?" the shock on her face was evident to Brian and he immediately fell silent, his gaze dropping to his lap again.

"Come on Brian you gotta give us a little more than that." Brass said, using his best soothing voice he could manage. With a little hesitation Brian began telling his story.

"Jason is my mechanic and I knew he kept a gun in his work bench. I wanted one for protection you know, except I didn't have the extra money to blow on one. So last week I went in and told Jason I needed a part for my car, he went into the back to grab it and that's when I took the gun." he sighed and slumped back in his seat, a mixture of shame and fear showing in his eyes. The look did not go unnoticed by Catherine.

"I have a feeling we're not hearing everything." she said, arms folded across her chest. Brian shot her a pleading glance but she only continued to glare at him. Knowing he was fighting a losing battle he gave in and continued.

"About two days later when I was leaving work Jason jumped me in the parking lot. I was pretty sure he was gonna kill me or something. He said he was gonna have me arrested unless I helped him with a job he had lined up-"

"What job?" Brass interjected. Brian narrowed his eyes and sat up.

"I was getting to that. The job was robbing this bank out on the strip. Jason said business wasn't paying well and he needed extra cash to pay the rent on his shop."

"So you robbed the bank? You're the one that hurt Sara?" Catherine yelled, standing up and slamming her fists on the table. She was fuming, her once blue eyes were now dark with anger and hurt.

"Catherine, if you can't handle this I can find another CSI who can." Brass threatened. Catherine regained her composure and took her seat. Brian cleared his throat and explained.

"No I didn't rob the bank, that was all Jason. I just drove the getaway car." he said. Catherine massaged her temples in an attempt to ease we oncoming headache.

"You should really keep an eye on your little friend, you know." Brian said suddenly. Catherines head shot up as Brass' eyes became wide.

"And what does that mean Mr. Paxton? Sounds a little bit like a threat if you ask me." he said.

"We stuck around the bank for a little bit after the cops were called, Jason said he wanted to "assess the damage". Brian said, quoting Jasons words.

"He saw the girl being put in the ambulance and said she was too much of a risk to him. Said he couldn't take the chance she would ID him."

Brass was becoming agitated, standing up he walked over to Brian and leaned towards him until their faces were inches apart.

"What are you saying?"

Brian gave a smug smile and crossed his arms, knowing he was now the one with the advantage. Looking Brass straight in the eye he simply said,

"Jason's gonna kill the girl."

* * *

><p>Walking out of the crowded coffee shop Grissom carried his coffee and some breakfast for Sara back to his car. He placed the food in the passengers seat and set off towards the hospital, last nights kiss weighing heavy on his mind.<p>

He couldn't believe Sara Sidle had kissed him. After he ran out of the hospital last night he sat in his car for what felt like forever. He contemplated what the next step in their relationship should be, before he stopped himself.

He wasn't even sure if Sara wanted a relationship. Sure she had asked him to dinner a couple times and he constantly caught her watching him while they worked, but this was still Sara he was taking about.

She was good at hiding feelings and Grissom knew she was going to give him a run for his money. Pushing his thoughts aside he pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine.

Gathering the food he walked inside to say a quick hello to Saras nurse Josie who had become used to him hanging around the ward per the past few days.

"Good morning Josie. How's Sara doing today?" he asked. Josie flashed him a smile and patted his shoulder.

"She's fine, about the same as yesterday. She does have a visitor right now just so you may want to knock first" she told him before her pager beeped and she quickly excused herself.

_Visitor_? Grissom thought, wondering who it could be. Catherine and the rest of the team were back in the lab and he didn't know any of Saras other friends. He found her room and decided to take Josies advice, softly knocking on the door.

"Come in." he heard a someone say. He immediately recognized the voice as Saras except it didn't sound normal. The voice he heard was scared and small. Panicking he flung the door open and saw Sara, her face scrunched up with fear.

In front of her bed was a man, his back facing Grissom. He was tall with dark hair and Grissom could hear him whispering to Sara.

He stopped when he heard Grissom come in and slowly turned around.

"And who is this Sara? It wouldn't happen to be Mr. Grissom would it?" The mans voice made Grissom shudder and he automatically knew they were in danger.

Turning around Grissom saw a sight that confirmed his fears. The man was fully facing him a smile spread across his face.

Grissom heard the paper bag that was once in his hand hit the floor with a thud. The man in front of him hand one hand tangled in Saras hair, forcing her to look right in his eyes. In the other was a gun he was pointing directly at her head.

"Oh My God."


	7. Chapter 7

**Let It Be**

_In front of her bed was a man, his back facing Grissom. He was tall with dark hair and Grissom could hear him whispering to Sara._

_He stopped when he heard Grissom come in and slowly turned around._

_"And who is this Sara? It wouldn't happen to be Mr. Grissom would it?" The mans voice made Grissom shudder and he automatically knew they were in danger._

_Turning around Grissom saw a sight that confirmed his fears. The man was fully facing him a smile spread across his face._

_Grissom heard the paper bag that was once in his hand hit the floor with a thud. The man in front of him hand one hand tangled in Saras hair, forcing her to look right in his eyes. In the other was a gun he was pointing directly at her head._

_"Oh My God."_

"Who are you?" Grissom finally managed to choke out. The man released his grip from Saras hair, the gun still pressed into her skull. He shifted so he was fully facing Grissom and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't waste time do you Mr. Grissom?" He reached a hand out and offered it to Grissom.

"Jason Riley, nice to meet you." He said, a hint of sarcasm could be detected in his voice. Grissom stared at Jasons hand in disgust, before he fully pieced together the situation.

_Jason Riley. _He knew the name, he just couldn't place it. His mind wandered back to the day before when Catherine had mentioned the suspect in their case. His heart dropped as his mind registered the danger they were now in.

"You robbed the bank." He blurted out. Quickly he pursed his lips and cursed himself, hoping he hadn't angered Jason. Instead Jason laughed and wagged a finger at him.

"You're quite the scientist aren't you?" Grissom knew it was a rhetorical question and decided to keep quiet. He looked back at the open door behind him and hoped none of the nurses decided to be nosey.

Jasons gaze followed Grissom and slowly he lowered the gun from Saras head. She sighed in relief snd sank lower in her bed. Jason pointed at the door and Grissom knew what he meant. Slowly reaching behind him he closed the door, keeping a close eye on the gun in Jasons hand.

"Can I ask you a question?" Grissom asked. Jason merely nodded and sat on the edge of Saras bed.

"Ok then, why did you rob the bank? I mean you could've asked for help, borrowed money from someone. Was it really necessary to risk peoples lives." The words poured from his mouth and he looked at Sara who looked helpless and unbelievably pale.

Jason shrugged his shoulder, polishing the barrel of his gun with the front of his shirt. He stood up and walked toward Grissom, leaning in and whispering in his ear.

"I had no intentions of hurting anyone." He said he looked at Sara and spoke louder this time.

"Actually I thought my directions were pretty simple, stay down and don't move. Even the child was able to do that! But you're stubborn aren't you Sara? Just couldn't pass up the oppurtunity to be the hero." Jasons voice was almost a yell, the gun once again pointed at Sara.

"Just stop it!" Grissom surprised himself as well as Sara as he yelled at the gun wielding man in front of him. Jason whipped around, training the gun on Grissom now. His eyes were blazing with anger and his face was red.

"You should really learn to hold your tongue Mr. Grissom." The sound of a gunshot followed by a scream echoed through the room as Grissom fell to the floor.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean he's going to kill her?" asked Brass, his face becoming a deep shade of red as anger and confusion boiled inside of him. Brian gave a humorless laugh.<p>

"Exactly what it sounds like. He's going to kill the girl, end of story. Unless of course you were smart enough to post a cop by her room, which, judging by the look on your face I'm guessing you didn't."

Catherine's hand flew to her mouth while Brass pulled his radio and began speaking frantically.

"I need a unit over at desert palms hospital, room 317. Be on the lookout for a man in his mid to late twenties with dark hair and eyes, around 6 feet tall. He'll most likely be armed." After getting a confirmation both he and Catherine sprinted from the room and out to the parking lot. Pulling out her phone she quickly dialed Grissoms number.

"Come on Gil, pick up." The sound of Grissoms voicemail played in her ear, cursing silently she hung up and dialed Nicks number.

"Nick, it's Catherine. You need to get Warrick and Greg and get to Desert Palms now. No everything is not alright, I'll explain when I get there just hurry up." Snapping the phone shut she fidgeted in her seat. It felt like they were traveling in slow motion. Catherine could only imagine what would happen if Jason beat them to the hospital.

Pulling into the parking lot they skidded to a halt. Catherine swung the door open and saw Nick, Warrick, and Greg running towards her, their eyes wide when they saw the mass of police cars surrounding the building.

"What's going on?" Demanded Nick. He watched Brass run inside, his weapon already in his hand.

"Jason Riley robbed the bank, Brian Paxton was just an accomplice. He said Jason was going back to kill Sara so she couldn't identify him." Catherine said breathlessly. The color drained from Nicks face and Greg and Warrick were glued to their spots.

"Wait I thought Sara and the witnesses said they couldn't see the mans face." Greg piped up. Catherine shrugged.

"Guys." Three heads turned toward the enterance, their hearts dropping when they saw the look on Brass' face.

"According to the nurses and doctors, Sara already had a visitor when Grissom got here. Hewent inside anyway and never came out." His voice was grave and his eyes refused to look Catherine in the eye.

"What are you saying Jim?" She finally snapped. Her hands were balled into fists, knuckles white from the strain.

"He was identified as Jason Riley. Everyone in the unit was able to confirm that shots have been fired."


	8. Chapter 8

****I wanted to thank all of you for your kind reviews. I'm thinking there will be one more chapter just to sum everything up. It should be up soon!

* * *

><p><strong>Let It Be<strong>

Everyone froze, not sure how to proceed. _Shots fired?_ The idea sent fear through them all. All of a sudden Catherine went into auto pilot, adrennaline coursing through her.

"Nick you come with me and Brass. Warrick you watch the exit and make sure no one comes outof this hospital without being checked. Greg I need you to help Warrick and keep your cell phone on you at all times." The orders flew and in a matter of minutes everyone was running off to do their job.

"Cath do you really think we can get them out of there?" Nicks voice was trembling, his hand reaching back and pulling out his service weapon as they ran down the hall, the smell of disinfectant weighing heavy in the air.

"I don't know Nick, right now all we can do is try." She answered. doubt clouded her mind as she wondered if there really was a possibility of getting them out alive.

Saras room was surrounded with police officers, there weapons drawn and trained on the door. They elbowed through the crowd approached the door. Brass slowly stepped forward, raising a hand and gently knocking on the door.

"Jason? This is Jim Brass, we met the other day at your shop. I know you're probably scared and a little confused but I just need to know that Mr. Grissom and Ms. Sidle are alright."

His demand was met with silence, a bad sign for Grissom and Sara. He was about to order his team inside when a shaky voice called out, the voice of Grissom.

"Jim we're okay. Just stay out there and everything will be alright."

* * *

><p>The pain coursing through his body was unbearable. The blood seeped onto the floor beneath him, his face turning ashen when he saw it. Using his other hand he applied pressure to his shoulder in hopes to staunch the bleeding.<p>

Sara was pale, her hands shaking in her lap. She watched Jason move across the room, inspecting the damage he had inflicted.

He nudged Grissom with his foot and made helped him to his feet. He pointed to the chair beside Saras bed and had him sit.

"Niether of you say another word unless I tell you to. Ok?" Sara nodded while Grissom continued putting pressure on his wound. Sara gathered the sheet from her bed and pressed it to his shoulder.

Grissom hissed in pain but made no attempt to move. Looking up Sara saw Jason tuck the gun into his pants and approach the door.

Jims voice floated through the door again, tainted with worry and anger.

"We can do this the easy way you know? Just let us have Sara and Gil and we can try and work something out." Jason was pacing the floor, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"No! It's not gonna work like that. You want them, I want a way out of here." His face was red and his eyes were ablaze. He pulled the gun out and pointed it at Sara and Grissom, huddled togther in the chair.

"Jason I can't do that, but I can promise you will get to tell your story. All you have to do is come on out."

Sara pressed closer to Grissom, keeping a hand pressed on his wound. Jason was pacing again, muttering to himself under his breath. All of a sudden he stopped and stood in front of the door.

"Alright Jim you win, come get them." In one swift movement he lifted the gun, trembling fingers pulling the trigger. And then there was a scream.

* * *

><p>Shock registered across the many faces outside the room. Without hesitation Brass had an officer force the door open, running inside after his men.<p>

Catherine was frozen, Nick standing beside her with a hand over his mouth. Warrick tore around the corner with Greg on his heels.

"What the hell happened, we heard a shot." He said breathlessly, looking from one shicked face to another.

"Guys come on what happened?" Greg piped up, craning his neck to peer inside the room. His view was blocked by the officers, shouting orders and rushing in and out.

A gurney was brought inside, not a good sign to the others. They stood together waiting for a sign that their friends were ok.

Finally Brass came out, leading a shocked but otherwise unharmed Sara out of the room with him.

A relieved sigh escaped the CSIs lips as they piled around Sara, checking to see she was really alright. It was Catherine who stopped and looked around to Brass.

"Where's Grissom?" she asked, Brass just gave her a looka dn nodded inside the room. Peering inside she saw him sitting on the gurney, a nurse applying a thick bandage the bleeding wound on his shoulder.

"Gil!" she exclaimed, pushing past the remaining officers. He looked up at her sheepishly, cheeks turning a bright pink.

"Catherine it's not as bad as it looks, I promise." his attempt to calm the blonde failed as she threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh.

"Not as bad? Gil thats a bullet hole!" Her voice attracted the attention of the others who were piling inside the room.

"Damn Griss you look rough." Warrick said, only to be silenced by a glare from Catherine. Nick looked around the room, an eyebrow raised.

"Uh, guys. Where's Riley?" All heads whipped around to look at Brass who was watching from the door way.

He pointed to the opposite side of the room, where a white sheet was draped over what they figured to be a body.

"He shot himself." Grissom said from his spot on the bed. They noted the gun laying on the floor next to Jason.

"I thought one of you were dead." Catherine admitted, laying a hand on Grissoms uninjured shoulder.

"Yeah, well it's gonna take a little more than that to get rid of me." Sara joked, leaning against the door frame. She smiled at Grissom and walked over to stand beside him.

Ignoring the stares from their friends she casually slipped her hand in his, resting her forehead against his own. With a playful look in her eyes she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Look who gets to take care of who now."


End file.
